I would like to share with you my review of our cruise to Alaska aboard the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. This was our first ever cruise and while my husband lived in Alaska years ago, it was my first visit to Alaska. The two-for-one deals ... Read More

I would like to share with you my review of our cruise to Alaska aboard the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. This was our first ever cruise and while my husband lived in Alaska years ago, it was my first visit to Alaska. The two-for-one deals and the all inclusive nature of the cruise made it very affordable and I am very glad that we made the decision to go the luxury route. From the moment we arrived at Canada Place in Vancouver to boarding, we were made to feel special. The line for the HAL ship was quite long but we were asked if we were cruising with Regent and then we were ushered to a non-existent line and from then until boarding we did not wait more than 10 minutes. We boarded at about 12 noon and made our way to check in, where we were offered champagne, and then to La Veranda for lunch. This buffet is like no other I have ever encountered. The food was fresh and delicious. After lunch we explored the ship as we waited for our suite to become ready. Just a little after 2:00PM they announced they we could see our suite (#945) and we found all our luggage waiting for us. I spent the next couple of hours watching a free movie (Alice In Wonderland) from a large selection of free movies and unpacking and decorating our suite for our 50th birthdays. My husband was celebrating his 50th on the 9th and I was the following day. After getting settled we dressed up for sail away and joined our fellow cruisers on the upper forward deck. The weather was beautiful and warm and we immediately started making friends. I was pleased to see a mix of ages and everyone was very friendly. I told my husband that it must be because everyone was so darned happy to be there. After sail away we returned to La Veranda for a Prime Rib dinner that was melt-in-your-mouth good. We were off to a spectacular start.
The next day we awoke to a rather gray sky but no rain. Neither of us experienced any problems with seasickness, I was taking Bonine every day at bedtime and my husband was taking nothing after feeling "foggy" from the Bonine. The inside passage seas were very calm which I am sure helped us get our sea legs. The Bonine (Dramamine Non-Drowsy) also gave me the great benefit of deep sleep. It worked for me. I also had ginger candy and Sea Bands, just in case. Never needed them. We spent the day having breakfast at La Veranda, which became our habit, enjoying the scenery, setting up our internet connection, writing a brief blog and having lunch with our Cruise Critic Roll Call friends at Compass Rose. This restaurant served you after ordering and the food was also very, very good. I had an amazing shrimp and avocado sandwich. We were offered a white or red wine, beer, soda or juice and there was no check to sign. It was strange getting up and leaving the table without figuring out the tip. Fantastic! We ordered dinner in our suite and strolled around the deck where we saw WHALES! There was whale blow all around us and there must have been about 20 Humpback Whales all around the ship. A few got very close, it was really exciting as I had never seen whales in the wild before. We then called it an early night as we were heading for...
Ketchikan
We arrived early in the morning and there was a light rain falling. This was completely expected and really a nice change from our 90 degree summer back home. We dressed for the weather and after an in-suite (24-hour room service) breakfast of fabulous bacon and scrambled eggs, fresh melon, fried potatoes and fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee, we headed into town for some shopping. The stores were open very early and we bought a bunch of things which we had shipped home for a coupon price of $9.99. Then we explored Creek St. and the creek was at low tide. There were many salmon present, dead and alive, and the smell was intense. We visited Dolly's House and took the tour. "Dale" gave us a great history, with jokes included, and we enjoyed this tour. Well worth the $3.50 each. We then made our way back to the ship to prepare for our first (free) excursion arranged by Regent, a Cruise of George Inlet & Crab Feast. I chose this excursion especially for my birthday because I LOVE crab. The rain had stopped but the sky remained cloudy as we boarded the bus for the George Inlet Lodge. There we boarded enclosed party boats which took us on a short cruise to where the crab pots were located. I volunteered to pull up the crab pot (a nice birthday memory). We received a lesson on identifying crab and crabbing in general. The weather cleared and the sun came out! It was really nice. On the way back we spotted a few harbor seals, and a young eagle. The guides were very nice, informative and very funny. We left them a tip onboard. At the George Inlet Lodge we all found tables and were served a crab feast to end all crab feasts. A glass of wine or soda was also included. Large, heaping, steaming bowls of fresh dungeness crab. I was in heaven. I especially enjoyed the ladies who brought us constant refills of melted butter. Along with our tablemates, we competed in a contest to create the highest mound of crab shells. This is when we coined the term, "crabalanche". We finished with a really great piece of blueberry topped cheesecake. My husband, who is not a big fan of crab, was served a cajun styled chicken breast. As we boarded the bus back to the ship it began to rain again. We found a table at the Pool Grill where we enjoyed a few drinks with our new friends. We had dinner at La Veranda and, once again, fell into a deep sleep to the rocking of the ship. The next day was...
Tracy Arm & Juneau
The skies were completely clear this morning as we woke up approaching Tracy Arm. We bundled up because it was really cold and quite windy up on deck. This fjord rivals those in Norway, that is what Terry Breen told us as she narrated our approach. We spent the next few hours marveling at the amazing scenery and enjoying the serenity and silence of the fjord. We did not choose to take a separate catamaran excursion which took people much deeper into the fjord and within view of the Sawyer Glacier. The Navigator went as far as the waterfall and then made a slow turn and sailed out of the fjord. We sailed into a fog bank and heard the fog horns as we headed to La Veranda for breakfast. By the time we arrived in Juneau the sun was out and the day much warmer. We had lunch at the Pool Grill and then walked around the town for awhile. I thought the prices here were higher and we closed the purse strings. We headed back to the ship and boarded our bus for our free excursion, a Native Canoe Adventure at Mendenhall Glacier. We boarded 12 man canoes (no motors allowed on the lake) and paddled up very close to the face of the glacier. Our guides were personable and friendly and gave us lots of good information. We also stopped at Nugget Falls which was spectacular as well. We had a snack before paddling back to the beach for the bus ride back to the ship. We ate at Compass Rose for dinner which was great and a night cap at the Galileo Lounge and early to bed because tomorrow we head for...
Skagway
On this day we awoke to clear skies! We were up early and decided to have an early breakfast and then walk the 1/2 mile into town. Most of the stores were closed and since we were the only ship in port, we had the town to ourselves except for some locals in a small cafe. We found one open store, a Russian American store, here we spent a bunch again on some really special things like a classic Russian style winter hat and Russian nesting dolls. The clerk here was really nice and we enjoyed listening to him talk in his slight Russian accent. We headed back to the ship and at the small boat harbor we saw OTTERS! I LOVE otters! There was a group of 5 or 6 of them playing on the dock and swimming amongst the boats. We took pictures and laughed as we made kissing noises and called them. They would turn and look right at us. We then went aboard and prepared for our free excursion, Zip Lines! This was my favorite excursion. Here the guides took very careful care of us and we felt safe and secure always. We really bonded with our fellow zip liners and we cheered each other on. We made fast friends here and on return to the ship we enjoyed a late lunch and drinks with them at the Pool Grill. After resting up and sail away, we had dinner with our roll call friends at Compass Rose. Another fantastic, perfect day! How could it be better? Oh, it was, next was...
Sitka
The dawn at Sitka revealed a charming town with lovely island homes, Russian influenced buildings and churches and a blindingly bright beautiful sunny day. After breakfast at La Veranda (loved the Chef here, Martin Jordan) we took a tender (small boat hung on the side of the ship) into port and we headed off for some serious shopping. Again we splurged and decided to have our purchases shipped home rather than trying to fit it all into our luggage. We met up with our free excursion for this day, The Sea Life Discovery Tour, and boarded a semi-submersible boat. They took us out for a view of a really green, murky sea floor where we saw starfish, a crab, small fish and lots of sea grass. This was a bit boring so we went up on the outside deck and enjoyed views of a Kelp Forest from above. The day was spectacular and it was really nice being out in the sun. We went back down for the divers who took cameras deeper and showed us many more fish and sea life. One diver scared me silly when he popped up in my window with a giant multi-legged starfish. They were very entertaining. After the undersea part we had a very informative, top deck ride, back to the harbor where we boarded the tender back to the ship. We stopped at the Pool Grill for lunch and headed to our cabin to prepare for a special dinner with 7 new friends. The food was good although I did not particularly like the soup. After dinner we went to the only show we saw which was a Navigator version of Cirque De Soleil and was very well done. After the show I decided to try my luck on the slots as my husband headed back to the suite. After just a few pulls I was ahead $15.00 and that was it for me. I rarely win so I always give up when I am ahead. When I arrived back at the suite I stepped out on our balcony and was shocked and amazed to see a huge display of the Aurora Borealis!! It was not very colorful but it stretched all the way across the sky with rays of light shooting upwards. Fantastic. I immediately returned to the casino where I told my friends to come see and I promptly emptied most of the casino as everyone headed up on deck to see. With a less than 10% chance, how lucky were we? I could not believe that the next day was the day we would visit the famous...
Hubbard Glacier
We were up very early and bundled up for the cold to another spectacular day. The dawn was incredibly beautiful as we cruised into Yakutat Bay and watched the sun come up and illuminate the magnificent mountains all around us. As we approached Hubbard Glacier the mountains and the glacier became larger and larger. There was very little ice (another blessing) and we were able to get very close to the face of this 6 mile long glacier. We concentrated on 3 miles of it and watched calving of the 350 foot face and listened to the amazing sounds a glacier makes. Cracking, booming and groaning, we were presented with quite the show. Terry Breen (our onboard cultural anthropologist and guide) was able to pinpoint where the ice would calve and she was right on! As the captain turned the ship around slowly we made our way down to the suite as the decks were packed with everyone standing at the railings. We were treated to the best of the calving from the comfort of our balcony and caught all of it on rapid fire photos and video tape. It was awe inspiring and could not have been a better visit to this magnificent sight. Magical. We had a great BBQ lunch at the Pool Grill and started packing our bags. We dressed up extra nicely because this was our one night at the reservation required restaurant, Prime 7. I had a great full Maine Lobster and Brian had a New York Strip. The food was great but, honestly, it was no better or worse than all the other food we had onboard. All of it was awesome. We returned to the cabin, finished packing and set the bags outside to be picked up. It was sad to leave but we were anxious to head home to see our kids. The next day we rode the...
Grandview Train to Anchorage
After breakfast at La Veranda with many goodbyes and hugs for the staff and our friends we boarded the train right were we docked in Seward. The time passed quickly as we rode along through the fog, with some breaks for views of glaciers and Moose country. The only wildlife we saw was a Moose butt as it headed off into the fog and an eagle in a tree. Someone saw Dall Sheep but we missed them. The fog made it difficult. We arrived right at the Anchorage Airport where some went straight to their flights while a number of us with later flights we were bussed over to the Anchorage Hilton where Regent had booked the 15th floor Hospitality Suite for us to lounge in and enjoy coffee, tea and water while we waited for shuttles that left on the hour to take us back to the airport. Our flight was really late (10:50PM) but it was a non-stop flight and we could sleep on the way home. We spent some time walking around and getting a few last minute souvenirs (I got my Ulu Knife) and we had lunch at the Glacier Brewhouse. The food was great and they had wi-fi so we were able to Skype with our kids and see their happy faces for the first time since we left for Vancouver. The internet connection on the ship was slow and I only used it to upload short blogs each day. Once we returned to the Hilton a nice employee took pity on us a gave us the access code for the hotel wi-fi so were were able to connect from the Regent suite (like a large restaurant area with booths and tables) so everyone was checking their flights because they were concerned about the fog. Unfortunately, we were not able to enjoy the view from the 15th floor because of the fog. Eventually it was time to board the 7:00PM shuttle to the airport so we picked up our big luggage from a secured area and they loaded them on to a shuttle for us. It was a quick ride to the airport where we waited on briefly for Frontier to open their ticket counter and I weighed our 3 bags to find them 48.2 pounds, 49.1 pounds and exactly 50.0 pounds! Awesome! We were quickly through security and found a table at the Chili's Too restaurant where we spent an hour waiting for our flight. Then we headed over to the gate and boarded a full flight home. A perfect end to a perfect vacation.
Overview
Alaska is spectacular and amazing and I returned a changed person, for the better. Don't say "maybe"...GO! I cannot recommend it more highly. We very much enjoyed Terry Breen and we attended a couple of her lectures where we learned a lot. She really added to the entire experience with her narration over the loudspeakers, which never intruded on the peace and quiet of our suite. And what a suite it was, it was huge! The shower was huge and the bathtub was deep. Everything was new, clean and luxurious, great feather pillows! We never heard a neighbor or people in the hall. You can read our blog here: http://alaskacruise2010.shutterfly.com where we have posted about 175 pictures. I hope you like it. Feel free to comment or ask questions, I will check and respond. My husband said the only concern he had were loose screws in the suite but, with the vibration in the aft part of the ship, it is understandable. We were not bothered by the vibration, it is a ship after all. Some might find it bothersome though. I understand that mid-ships and lower decks it was not as noticeable, if at all. We really enjoyed the intimacy of a smaller ship (490 passengers) and were very pleased that we rarely had a wait for anything. I was also impressed that I never heard the word "NO". Everyone was smiling and happy, including all the passengers. A special shout out and kudos to: Arul (with the great smile) and Jerel (who read my mind) at the Pool Grill, The Sommeliers, Daniella, Mykola and Plamen (The Bear), Headwaiter, Delfim Bento Couto and Hostess, Monique from Compass Rose. Anatoli Makaev in La Veranda who was very accommodating and my special friend, Waitress, Pornipa (Em). Our Steward, Augustin (thank you) and the Stewardess who greeted me each day so sweetly, Lorie. The Prime 7 Maitre D, Christiaan Du Plooy (great sense of humor) and especially the Chef, Martin Jordan who never failed to make me laugh. Thank you all for making our once-in-lifetime extra special and very memorable. We appreciate you and we miss you. We hope to see you again someday...soon. Read Less

We had planned our 25th anniv. trip for a year and picked Regent based on the ports of call, excursions, food reviews, and ship size. We embarked from Monte Carlo through Italy and onto Turkey and the Greek islands ending in Athens. I ... Read More

We had planned our 25th anniv. trip for a year and picked Regent based on the ports of call, excursions, food reviews, and ship size. We embarked from Monte Carlo through Italy and onto Turkey and the Greek islands ending in Athens. I think we picked spot on for what we wanted. Though slightly younger than the majority of the people of the ship (48-49) it didn't take away at all from our experience and there were more than enough people we could socialize with. The ship size was perfect at about 700. The staff to customer ratio was excellent, but foremost, I want to say that never once in 10 days did I not receive a bright smile, a hello, or engage in conversation with the staff. I mean everyone from the housekeeping, to the pool staff, to the sommelier, to the destination services, etc. I looked at other reviews prior to the trip that commented that the Regent staff had disappointed them, but I felt totally welcomed, and we were treated wonderfully. The food was 5 star but what we loved the most were the portions as they were perfect and you could go through all servings without feeling like you were distressed. The service that presented the food was awesome. We felt like royalty. Another thing I'd like to comment on is that we were looking to hit alot of ports and sights and our excursions were tremendous, and only one of them cost anything extra, at our choice. While I heard some people say they felt rushed, it was exactly what we were looking for not having been to Europe before. Yes, at nite we were tired, but there were only two ports that had 11 hour excurions and believe me we saw everything we wanted. I would only say that we wished those older people that refuse to really read the warnings of how much walking, and on what type of grades and pavements they were to be walking on during the excursion, would because I felt Regent communicated clearly how difficult some of the tours might be. We were slightly concerned with the Voyager's reputation as having a heavy vibration rearships, and although yes it does have vibrate, we were never really bothered by it. The bedding was wonderful, and my wife thought the full size walk in closet and bathroom size was tremendous. A huge shout out to Ronald Yoroung wo was an impressive representative of Regent as a server, and to Tony in the Casino whose patience with me at the craps table was greatly appreciated.Finally, the Captain of the ship should be credited for taking us to Taormina when we could not go to Amalfi due to the weather. He could have put us out to sea, sailed slow and saved gas, and he elected to show us a port that turned out to be the best time of the cruise for my wife and I. We would strongly recommend this line. Read Less

So I feel compelled to give this disclaimer, I have only been on one other cruise line besides Regent so I don't have the widest perspective. With that said my wife and I have had such wonderful experiences on Regent I don't ... Read More

So I feel compelled to give this disclaimer, I have only been on one other cruise line besides Regent so I don't have the widest perspective. With that said my wife and I have had such wonderful experiences on Regent I don't think we will ever use a different cruise line.
Embarkation/disembarkation: My only complaint for the trip was our arrival time, Regent did our air arrangements and had us on a 5:45 Am flight into Miami. Besides having this horrible flight time we arrived at the ship around 11 am, so we had about an hour before they would even let us board, they gave us water and cookies and were very pleasant but I would have preferred a later flight with less waiting. Checking in was a quick experience and we had lunch when our room was being prepared. I personally didn't mind the wait as it gave us a chance to explore the ship and get our bearings. getting off the ship is a bit hectic as they ask everyone to be out of their rooms about an hour before you start leaving, but after we found a place to sit and our group was called we were through customs and on a shuttle to the airport withing 15 minutes, very nice.
Room: The room felt very spacious and it lived well for the week. My wife really appreciated the separate bath tub. Also I have to give high praise to our stewardess Jane, She introduced her self asked if we had anything we would like before dinner (white wine) and made sure it was in our room every day. She learned quickly we were early eaters and would have our room turned down by the time we returned to the room before the show. Also Jane quickly figured out we enjoyed the chocolates and gave us a few extra every day. It's small details like that which make Regent so much better than other cruise lines. Also they have a wide selection of free movies through an interactive menu which was nice way for us to finish our evenings
Dining: The food is excellent. we ate at Prime 7 once and it is as good as any high end steakhouse I have ever been to. they also prepared a special desert for my wife and I for our special occasion which was nice. the compass rose was delicious but a bit slow. Never slow enough for us to complain though. We ate at La veranda for lunch most days and it was excellent. Overall the food is high quality. Others have complained about the service but on our cruise it was excellent. enough can't be said about how you never have to wait for a table. Also in room dining is quick and they will make every effort for any special orders.
Ports/excursions/ship activities: We enjoyed each of excursions, we booked through the ship and they were wonderful. We had rain in Guatemala so we decided to relax on the ship. Also the days on sea were pleasant with enough activities. On our trip they did two themed afternoon teas which were amazing. Tea is an everyday activities which includes trivia, we loved it for the scones and would recommend it to anyone cruising. We went to the shows most evening, our favorite being Cirque navigator. The shows were entertaining especially after wine with dinner and a pre-show cocktail.
Spa/Gym: the Spa is a canyon ranch and is very luxurious but expensive (it's the only thing on the ship besides the shop that is not inclusive). My wife had a couple of treatments she enjoyed thoroughly. The gym on the ship is small but we never had to wait more then 10 minutes for a machine, I think it is all about timing. The fitness classes are included and my wife did a couple. Overall very adequate gym facilities which are needed to offset the incredible amount of savory foods.
Miscellaneous: The crowd on Regent is definitely older we are in our 20's and were easily the youngest people that were not accompanied by their parents. we didn't mind but if you are looking for late night dancing or a party crowd you won't find it on Regent. This cruise line is obviously expensive but you feel like it is well spent. I probably had 5-6 drinks a day and we used the shore free shore excursions, I'm sure regent came out ahead but I felt like it was close.
Overall I would definitely recommend regent if you are looking for a relaxing and luxurious cruise experience and don't want the huge ship experience. Read Less

We have previously travelled with mainstream cruise lines such as P&O, Princess, Celebrity, RCI etc and thought we would try a more expensive '5 star' cruise. While many elements of the ship and the cruise were excellent and ... Read More

We have previously travelled with mainstream cruise lines such as P&O, Princess, Celebrity, RCI etc and thought we would try a more expensive '5 star' cruise. While many elements of the ship and the cruise were excellent and merited the extra cost, there were some surprising negatives also.
Food varied from acceptable to excellent, with the exception of the Signatures restaurant - pretentious menu and average to poor food! The main restauarant was great for couples with lots of tables for 2 by the windows! The food was often great - lunches in the main restaurant were particularly unusual and excellently flavoured; also the portions were not too big which is great at lunchtime. Occasionally, however, there were some very odd and definitely second class offerings - one afternoon tea, the only sandwiches were cheap potted meat or jam (I haven't been offered a jam sandwich since I was a child when it was definitely food for the poor!!!)
The upsides first:-
Wonderful cabin - spacious, well-equipped, good balcony, beautifully furnished. Some things we particularly liked were the curtained area for sitting, separated from the bedroom - this allowed me to get up earlier than my husband and to read and use the balcony without disturbing him!; the walk-in closet with lots of hanging space and drawers; big bathroom with very big shower area, lovely toiletries and lots of space. (We had a cabin with only a shower and this gives you lots of room if, like us, you do not want a bath.
Great staff - friendly throughout the ship, including the officers; nothing too much trouble; efficient and helpful. Even the tour staff were good and this is often one area where cruise ships are poor!!
Lots of space in the ship - no queues for anything, even the buffet restaurant had lots of tables whenever you wanted to eat. The ship felt quiet and uncrowded throughout the cruise - very relaxing.
No attempts to keep selling to you, which is unusual - no photographers constantly in your face trying to take photos and sell them to you, no pressure to use the shops. This is all in line with the fact that everything is included so you don't constantly have to show your cruise card. At the same time, the staff were great in keeping you supplied with food and drink - no need to chase them at all. It makes for a very relaxing time.
Tours were good - no feeling that, because they are free, they are a lesser class than those sold on other cruise ships.
Ports of call were all great - some a bit busy but that is the only possible negative, and is not RSSC's fault!!
Downsides:-
The tours were all early morning and nearly all scheduled at similar times. This made a few issues - overcrowding and lines waiting to disembark. The worst point, however, was that the mealtimes were not adjusted to take account of the tours. So, the restaurant was only open in the morning as you were reporting to the tour - you could only have a sit-down meal if you were staying on the ship! You had to use the buffet (sometimes cold food!!) or have room service which was often the only practical option. Similarly, you had to rush back at the end of the tour if you wanted to be served because many of the tours ended at 1.00-1.15 and the restaurant closed at 1.30. Even the buffet closed at 2.00 so you could not have a look round the port after the tour if you wanted to eat. There was always room service but that always takes time to order and receive, and the choice is limited.
Generally, the availability of food was the poorest I have come across on any ship. Apart from room service, there were gaps in the morning and afternoon where you struggled to find food. This meant you had to keep an eye on the time to ensure you did not miss a meal - not what you want on a cruise. One morning we got up at 9.00 (hardly sleeping in!!) and found only one place we could eat cold food!!
It would be nice when you get back to the ship to find cold drinks and cold towels available - they do this on Celebrity which is a cheaper option. A bit galling to be moored next to a cheaper cruiseline and seeing them being regaled with cold towels!!
The public areas looked a bit tired to us and no wow factor.
Downsides may sound a bit picky but this cruise is expensive and is meant to be top class so I think you should expect excellence!
Overall, a very good experience but I think RSSC should travel on some other lines to see how it could be improved to 5 star all round Read Less

We booked our cruise over 6 months in advance after researching for a service-oriented cruise. We initially had booked with Oceania but cancelled and rebooked with RSSC because their advertising "misled" us to believe that the ... Read More

We booked our cruise over 6 months in advance after researching for a service-oriented cruise. We initially had booked with Oceania but cancelled and rebooked with RSSC because their advertising "misled" us to believe that the customer service experience would be far better. We opted for a butler level suite as we are service junkies and are used to high-quality service in our daily lives. The first problems arose after booking but prior to the cruise - due to "computer issues" we had to re-input our guest information 3 times and in the end, the cruise documents that were sent to us were wrong and I had to spend more time to correct the information; aside from that the cruise representative was not helpful or particularly competent. We opted to arrange for our own private transfer to the port and I can't tell you how glad I was to do so as we left the hotel at about the same time as the Regent cattle herding and it was impersonal, disorganized and truly chaotic (we arranged for a towncar ourselves for less than 200euro - Regent wanted to charge us 4 times as much!). Fortunately, we arrived at the port before everyone else so we had a perfect boarding experience (in hindsight, this was more likely due to the fact that no one else was boarding at the same time). All around, our 1st day was practically perfect and we were very pleased and relieved.
Unfortunately, our 2nd day was drastically different - terrible customer service, noticeable decrease in quality of services and food. It was night and day - I guess they figured they could stop trying after you were onboard. Our first port was changed to Naples (instead of Sorrento/Capri); however, our shore excursion remained the same. Naples is a terrible port - nasty. Fortunately, we thoroughly enjoyed our "free" shore excursion to Pompeii - guide was a nice elderly man who was very knowledgeable and entertaining(despite a few too many corny jokes), too many people on the tour but the guide provided headsets so that we didn't miss any information.
2nd port: Amalfi/Positano. Beautiful surroundings but disorganized and unacceptable tour. Everyone met in the theater which began the cattle-herding. Then were squeezed into a tender boat (far too many people) and tendered to shore only to find another chaotic meeting place with a tour guide who was an elderly man with a bad attitude and a very quiet voice, let alone clearly incapable of guiding the tour. Unfortunately our group was 38 people and half of the people could not hear a word he was saying (no headsets either) - despite several people speaking up, no improvement was made and we decided to returning the pier to speak with the excursion "director" in an attempt to obtain a few suggestions for us to pay for an alternative (we would have done anything from a local double-decker tour bus to a private driver). She was very unhelpful and seemingly unconcerned. The only advice she had was to wait for the last group to arrive because they had less people (only 27!) - so we opted to wait at the peir for our boat transfer to Positano. Our excursion began at 8:15am and the transfer boat didn't leave Amalfi until after 10am - even after our group caught up to us, we waited almost an hour on the transfer boat so that the rest of the Regent groups could transfer at the same time (even though they had the benefit of sleeping in and starting the day later without waiting like we had to do). Again, terrible chaotic and crowded. Positano was beautiful but the "tour" portion lasted about 5 minutes (just to walk up some steps). By the time we returned to the ship, we felt that we just wasted 6 hours of our lives to something we could have done in a 15 minute boat ride past the two seaside villages. We wish RSSC would have provided more details in the excursion description as we would have opted to sleep in, relax and maybe take in an extra spa service.
3rd port: Florence/Pisa. Due to the terrible experience from the prior day, we booked a last-minute private excursion through Regent for this stop - Although it costed us more than $1600 to do so, we were glad as both our driver and our Florence guide were wonderful. It was a shame we had to do this in order to experience a satisfying tour though. However, if you make the mistake of booking with Regent and have expectations for good service and experiences, I highly recommend booking private tours as even the paid group tours RSSC offers seem crowded and disappointing. Florence was wonderful, Pisa was picturesque but VERY commercialized. We apparently returned to the ship prior to the cattle herding (but after 5pm) and as a result, boarded and missed the staff welcome ceremony, which was unfortunate.
4th port: Monte Carlo. We opted to back out of our group tour again because of the poor previous experience. We slept in and then went to shore on our own - which was great because we missed the crowds at tender time. Taxis are few and far between so we ended up hiking up to the casino (not for the faint of heart) but had a good experience and were able to secure a taxi easily from the casino back to the pier.
5th port: Saint-Tropez. We made the mistake of trying the group excursion again. And again a horrible experience. Port Grimaud was a planned development community build in the 1960s that was very uninspiring - they made it very touristy and attempted to mimic a Venice style village - but it was poorly done and unsuccessful in their aspirations. Took an unguided boat tour - in a residential canal that had absolutely no appeal...and then had some free time to experience not-so-friendly service and a local restaurant. Very cheesy and a waste of time. We had spa appointments booked for that evening and the tour was running late so in order to avoid further disappointment, we exited the tour upon returning to Saint-Tropez and missed that waling tour. Again, this involved a bad tender experience with excessive waiting and a crowded tender boat.
6th port: Provence. We again opted for a private tour - this time it was $1900 - but again, it proved to be worth it because we had an enjoyable time. The guide was not worth it and we were put in a van instead of a towncar as requested but thankfully, I had been to this part of France before so I directed the day and provided my husband with a very guide overview of some off-the-beaten-path stops (in addition to the popular Avignon, we went to Pont du Gard, Arles, the castle in Torascon).
Out of time, but so much more I could say. Butler service was disappointing, food and waitstaff were disappointing... The only thing that was good was a response and temporary improvement in service when we complained to the executive concierge. Although, this improvement was temporary. Restaurant officer was great. Room service was inedible. Last day of service was dreadful - couldn't find anything edible and service was virtually non-existent. Debarking was horrible as well as service from the Regent staff at the port in Barcelona -they should be fired. Definitely left us with the impression that all they care about was shoeing us off fast without any cares about service and focusing on putting on a good show for the next group's first day. Our total cost was over $20,000 for a "6-star cruiseline" that provided 3-star service and experience.
We will book our next cruise with another cruiseline. Read Less

I will try not to be too long, but I wanted to submit a thorough review for all those that are considering a first Regent cruise. There are some things I didn't know but wish I had, and I also want to review the ports and excursions ... Read More

I will try not to be too long, but I wanted to submit a thorough review for all those that are considering a first Regent cruise. There are some things I didn't know but wish I had, and I also want to review the ports and excursions as most were very enjoyable.
First, we booked directly through Regent. Our experience was less than we expected from a luxury line who promised great service--just little errors and mix-ups here and there that could have been avoided. Apparently, they are well known for having less than perfect internal systems and it is very useful to have a travel agent who is very familiar with Regent. Also, as I didn't know before, most agents will give you some onboard credit to spend, which is always nice!
Our airfare was included with Regent, and I wasn't aware at the time of booking but you can elect to take a credit and book your own airfare OR at least do airfare deviations, which I probably would do next time. We had no problem, but we could've had a non-stop flight home if we had deviated which would have been much nicer than our connection at JFK.
We were on a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise sailing from Barcelona to Rome. We had an included one-night stay at a hotel in Barcelona and all transfers are included. Again, you can request to receive a credit and book your own hotel and transfers. This probably would have been good, especially if you wanted a specific hotel or non-bus transfers. We didn't have a problem and all the Regent folks in Barcelona were helpful. They sold us a day tour to Montserrat and then transferred us to port around 2:30. If you don't buy the tour, you are still transferred as agreed.
Finally, we were on the Mariner! She is a lovely ship and we were received quickly and with a glass of champagne. As soon as we boarded they announced that our suites were ready, so we proceeded to Suite 730, mid-ship. We were very pleased with the size and location. There is a bathtub/shower combo in this suite, which is unusual (most of them have been updated to a shower only). The combos are very short and my 6'3" husband had quite a time trying to shower, so request a shower-only suite if you want one!
We dined in Compass Rose the first night and two additional nights and always found it delicious with very good service. The wines and other drinks were fine with us; we always could find something we liked very much. We tried La Veranda several times for lunch and dinner and found it to be hit and miss. We felt it the food quality was a little spotty here, but we always found something we liked and the service was always wonderful. The cheese selections were a particular highlight. We had room service breakfast every day and sometimes for dinner and it was good, not great. A couple of times things were forgotten, but it was quickly remedied. Prime7 was by far our best dining experience. The steaks were delicious and there were many delicious sides from which to choose.
We found most of our excursions very enjoyable. Our first, to Marseille, was disappointing because it was on a Sunday in traffic with very few shops open on a gloomy day. Probably will not need to go back there. However, Monday's tour, "WINE TASTING AND PROVENCAL HILLTOP VILLAGE" was very nice. Yes, it was as part of a tour bus, but those hilltop villages were beautiful and the winery was a great experience. We went back to the ship at lunch and lounged by the pool (there was always PLENTY of room) and watched sailboats off Saint Tropez. Tuesday we took "JEWELS OF THE COTE D'AZUR - NICE, EZE, MONACO" and it was very nice. It was a long one and we wondered if we'd like it that long on a bus, but the area was so wonderful and our tour guide so good that we had a great time. Monaco is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Wednesday we were docked in Livorno and I scheduled a private tour outside Regent (RomeCabs: they are excellent!) to take us to Pisa and Florence. It was a highlight and I'm glad we took a car instead of worrying with the herd in all that traffic. Thursday was "POSITANO AND AMALFI" and we actually only made it through half of this one before heading back. It was a tender port, so we were really exhausted after tendering to the port then taking a water taxi back and forth to Positano. We just didn't have any energy left for the Amalfi portion after all that. Friday we did "ANCIENT POMPEII" and were delighted with our drive to and tour of Pompeii, complete with guide and headsets. Pompeii was crowded so it was really nice to have a guide and headsets so you didn't get too lost. After that, we went back to Sorrento and enjoyed a wonderful local meal. We could definitely go back to Sorrento!
It is hard to articulate that "extra something" that Regent provides. It's little things like them always providing staff outside the ship when docked or at the pier in case of tender, smiling and ready with cool water or fruit punch. Also, there was only one lunch that felt somewhat crowded, but that was the only crowded dining experience we had. There were always plenty of chairs around the pool and we were usually alone in the hall and with only a couple handfuls of people in the Observation Lounge after dinner. We had a great time and found Regent to uphold its end of the bargain as far as service and comfort go.
So...would we ever go on Regent again? It would depend on the itinerary, but probably. They would at least always be in the top of the short list. Since the excursions are included, Regent may not make sense if you want to schedule your own tours. Yes, the suites are very nice and food is better than average cruise fare (but not always excellent). However, I think, unless money is truly no object, you would be smart to check in detail the pricing of other luxury lines before making a decision on Regent. This is true especially if you don't desire the inclusivity of drinks and excursions. Read Less

Regent Seven Seas Voyager Cruise
Sunday, 30 Sep. 12
We left home at 02.45, to make 05.00 check-in at LHR, which is a downside to booking flights through the tour operator. Usually we fly in a couple of days before, enabling us to fly ... Read More

Regent Seven Seas Voyager Cruise
Sunday, 30 Sep. 12
We left home at 02.45, to make 05.00 check-in at LHR, which is a downside to booking flights through the tour operator. Usually we fly in a couple of days before, enabling us to fly at a more sociable time. We are flying to Barcelona, where we should be met and transferred to the ship. We have been very lucky in gaining access to the BA lounge, as I have a frequent flyer card, with Cathay Pacific, but I've never flown with them.
On arrival at the airport, we waited a few minutes for the valet parking service, then handed over our keys and took our bags to fast bag drop, before quickly clearing security and heading for the lounge, to enjoy a decent breakfast and Bucks Fizz (Mimosa). These lunges are wonderfully quiet places to relax and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi.
We had a very comfortable flight, though slightly delayed due to stormy weather around southern Spain, but arrived about 10.30 and now wait in arrivals for other passengers. We were offered a breakfast roll and a choice of hot and cold drinks. We arrived just a few minutes late, but t glorious sunshine, which followed 36 hours of heavy rain, so were really very lucky! Our bags came through pretty fast and we were met by Regent reps, who took our bags and escorted us to a bus.
The bus journey was very quick and our ship was berthed at the Trade Cetre, as opposed to the main cruise terminal, where all the other cruise ships were docked. This enabled pax to take a short walk into the city, raher than taking the bus or taxi. We arrived a bit early so we had to wait to check in, so Rosy and I went outside to sit in the warm sunshine, which was a really nice surprise as the forecast wasn't good. Check-in soon commenced and we were soon boarding our temporary home. No intrusive photographers to avoid, just a short walk and a champagne greeting, though Regent was a bit stingy with the measure! One sip and it was gone! Therefore, we had to walk around the circle and get another one!
We boarded at about mid-day and suites wouldn't be available until 14.30, so we had a buffet lunch, found some recliners on deck 12 and started to work our way through the cocktail menu. Rosy went off to find the library and I had a look around the ship.
Time soon passed and we were able to access our suite, which was originally an 'H' guarantee, but were upgraded to F 872, the same size, but a couple of decks higher. It was a quiet location near the stern, but very handy for the laundry room. The use of the laundry facilities was free for self-service. My baggage soon arrived, but Rosy's was delayed, so I went to find it, which was easy.
There was plenty of storage space, in drawers, cupboards and plenty of hangers. We had a separate dressing room and a large bathroom with shower and tub. The tub also had a handheld shower fitting. There were good supplies of toiletries, including lemon-scented soap.
The bed was large and extremely comfortable and we slept very well. I often struggle to sleep, particularly when the sea is rough, but no problems this time.
Our suite was decorated with balloons and a 'happy birthday' banner, due to Rosy letting slip that it was my birthday. I also had a postcard from Regent, with birthday wishes and presenting a bottle of bubbly and a small cake. We didn't drink the 'fizz' until about the fourth day, as we'd had more than enough cocktails and wanted to enjoy and 'remember' the evening!
Following pre-cruise advice, we had made advance reservations for the speciality restaurants for the first two nights, thereby giving us further chances later in the cruise, should we so wish. We had also pre-booked our free shore excursions. For the first night we had booked Dinner in Prime 7, the steak-house. We both had 'surf and turf', a 6oz fillet steak, plus lobster tail. It was very good, but no better than we had enjoyed on other cruise lines.
We were very tired after our early start, so we headed off to bed at around 10.30, rather than seeking out entertainment.
Day 2 Marseilles
We awoke late, resulting in a hurried breakfast on a glorious warm morning.
For our first Regent excursion we had booked a half-day tour of Marseilles and Cassis, which included a stop at the pretty seaside village of Cassis, accessed by a road train. I bought some delicious croissants from a local Boulanger. The traffic in Marseilles was very bad, mostly due to extensive harbour regeneration work, as the local tourist board were trying to change the image form industrial city to tourism destination, by introducing cultural activities. We got back to the ship just in time for a buffet lunch, with cocktails, at the Terrace Restaurant. We became very fond of the rear section, which was very quiet and offered excellent views.
We decided to stay on-board for the afternoon, to drink cocktails and to play putting, croquet and shuffle-board.
We had booked dinner in Signatures, the French Restaurant, which Rosy really enjoyed, but I thought it no better than the Compass Rose, the standard restaurant, where reservations weren't required, or available.
Day 3 Cannes -- another beautifully sunny morning
We enjoyed a more leisurely breakfast in our favoured aft location. Most mornings I had the same food, home-made muesli and fresh strawberries, together with fruit juice and coffee. Occasionally I had the daily special, pancakes or waffles. One day I had a rather disappointing omelette.
This was our first tender port, so picked up bus tickets in the theatre and then waited our turn. Our guide took us on what was called a 'Gourmet Tour'. I'm not sure why it was named 'Gourmet', but it did include visits to two wineries for some tasting. At the first stop we enjoyed a very informative wine-tasting, though we seemed to be running out of time, so it felt a bit rushed. We enjoyed some good wines, at a wine distributor but maybe in view of the time of day, late morning, I should have used the spitting bucket more, rather than drinking mine and Rosy's wine! The second stop saw us visiting a Chateau and sitting around large tables, sampling various savoury chutneys on crackers, together with assorted wines.
On our return to the ship, we were disappointed to find the lunch buffet close, so apart from room service; eating options were very limited, which we feel unnecessary on such a premium cruise.
After our snack lunch, we returned to shore for Rosy to swim in the sea and me to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi in the customer 'lounge', which was of poor quality, then we walked around the harbour, gazing at the large yachts, wondering how people can afford such luxuries. We returned to the ship for a wallow in the Jacuzzi and pre-dinner cocktails. There was a wonderful sunset and it was a balmy evening. Life couldn't be better, thank you Lord.
We were going to Dine al fresco in the open air, on Deck 11, eating Italian food, but the wind was a little cool, so we joined another couple inside. We had met them in the Steak-house, so it was nice to meet again. Again I was surprised that he wasn't drinking any wine and it turned out he was a recovering (20 years ago) alcoholic. It must have been difficult seeing everyone guzzling away. I had previously read that Chateau Neuf Du Pape was available on the included wine list, but hadn't seen it, so I asked and out it came. I never looked back and drank it for the rest of the cruise, sharing my good fortune with others!
Day 4 Livorno
I was surprised to see us dock in Livorno, very close to the City, as on previous cruises we had always berthed in the industrial area, requiring a bus ride to the dock gates. This time we could walk and our location was much more attractive.
We enjoyed our usual breakfast, and then took our Lucca and wine tour. We tried to sway to the Lucca cycling tour, but it was full. As it turned out we were fortunate as it rained that morning, the only rain for the entire cruise, so we were glad to return to our bus and the visit to Buonamico wine shop and winery, where we enjoyed a tour and a tasting. I found a nice comfy armchair to sit and watch the world go by, whilst sampling. At one point I was brought a large sample of Grappa, a sort of Schnapps. It was quite strong and I felt a bit sleepy on the return trip.
It was strange to see the Carnival Breeze also in port, knowing that my good friend John Heald was so near, yet so far. We hoped to meet but he was too busy. I had told our CD that John was nearby and he admitted to being an avid reader of the JH Blog and asked me to invite him for lunch. Unfortunately he couldn't make it, but he and John did meet on the Breeze, the next day at Civitavecchia. He was thrilled to have met John and been mentioned on the FB page.
After lunch, on board, we walked into the city for an hour or so, and then returned to the ship.
We had a very enjoyable dinner in the Compass Rose.
Day 5 Rome
As usual for Rome, we had an early start. We had booked the Roma Express, a private train (several cruise lines had coaches on this train). Passengers are bussed about a mile to a special station, where the train awaits, and then a non-stop journey to Rome's St Pietro station. This could be an excellent trip, but give me the standard train any day. If I had paid the $70 for the trip, I'd have felt cheated. We usually pay 11 Euros for a return train journey, with free city transportation for Rome included. Ok we have to walk to station (about 10-15 minutes), but we have plenty of room on the train and they usually run to time. We waited on the 'Special' train for about 15 minutes, then it crawled around the docks, before racing to Rome, but it wasn't any quicker than the normal service and there was very little legroom. The return departure was late, due I think to passengers missing. It was very frustrating and there was no communication. Clearly it is a good option for those who worry about missing the ship, but for intrepid travellers, it's a waste of time and money!
Day 6 Portofino
Portofino is another tender port, but one of the prettiest I have been to and well worth a visit, albeit that the tenders take a long time. We had an afternoon boat trip as our tour, so left the ship straight after breakfast and walked around the coast to the next village (about 30 minutes). The local authority has constructed a good path, offering excellent views. It is possible to walk a lot further, but we wanted to have lunch on the ship, and then return for our tour, but as we had such a long wait for a tender, as did many others, we were all late for the tour. The boat trip took us to another small harbour, but we found it a bit tedious and were glad to get back to Portofino.
That night we returned to the Italian restaurant for our dinner, which was excellent again, helped by drinking copious amounts of red wine.
Day 7 Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo was our last port and we also stayed overnight on the ship, before disembarking on day 8. We had arranged a tour of Villefrance and the Chateau of Baroness Rothschild. Villefrance is a pretty harbour and town and is a popular tender port for cruises. There were some lovely views of the coastline from our tour bus. We stayed in the town for about 45 minutes, before leaving for the Rothschild home, surrounded by beautiful gardens and a dancing fountain. We were given a guided tour of the house and gardens, before returning to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon we walked around the harbour and went to see some vintage cars, before returning to pack our bags.
We had an excellent dinner in Compass Rose, preceded by the crew show, which was quite good fun.
Day 8 Departure via Nice
On our final day, we had opted for a Riviera Tour on the way to Nice airport. This tour also included a somewhat tedious tour of Nice, when all I wanted was to get to the airport. Mind you, we had plenty of time, once we got to the airport. It was well organised, as porters met the bus and took our bags inside the terminal, where we checked in easily.
Once again, we were able to enjoy the comfort and peace of the lounge, before our short flight back to London.
This was one of best ever cruise experiences, helped by good fortune, good weather and a premium ship, but we didn't consider the cruise to be particularly good value for money.
Additional comments
The entertainment wasn't very exciting and lacked variety. We don't particularly like shows, so all but the 'Beatles' tribute was of no interest. There was an excellent trio, who played and sang well. There was also a pianist who played soft music in the Horizon lounge. We missed the comedians and variety of the bigger ships.
Sometimes it was difficult to get a drink, without actually visiting the bar, particularly on the pool deck. Maybe this was because they were included! At times they needed more bar staff.
The coffee was disappointing, apart from that served in the coffee lounge on deck 5.
It was useful to be able to collect free bottled water before leaving on tours.
The Champagne wasn't as nice as we're used to drinking at home. Some of the wine wasn't to our liking and they immediately tried to sell us an expensive bottle. I wasn't amused.
The water temperature in the hot tubs varied enormously and the staff seemed unwilling or unable to do anything about it.
Rather surprisingly, whilst we found all the serving staff very friendly, some of the officers were not so. One officer ignored my 'good morning'. Read Less

As Silversea fanatics, we never thought we would "jump ship." It was the itinerary on the Voyager, --Reykjavik to Copenhagen that sold us on Regent. The ports were stellar -- Reykjavik, Isafjordur, Akureyri (Iceland), Torshavn ... Read More

As Silversea fanatics, we never thought we would "jump ship." It was the itinerary on the Voyager, --Reykjavik to Copenhagen that sold us on Regent. The ports were stellar -- Reykjavik, Isafjordur, Akureyri (Iceland), Torshavn and Copenhagen (Denmark), Lerwick (United Kingdom), and Alesund, Geiranger,Flam, Bergen, and Oslo (Norway).
We were absolutely delighted with Regent. The Voyager is a lovely ship, -- sleek, simple elegance. We had a Horizon View suite (highly recommended.) As previous reviews of the Voyager have provided excellent in-depth coverage of the ship, I thought I would simply add a few highlights.
BLOCK PARTY
Genius! At the sound of ship's "cocktail bell," we were invited to grab a glass from our rooms and head out into the hallways to meet our neighbors. Wine, champagne, and appetizers were served by the ship's staff. Captain Gianmario, General Manager Franck Galzy, and Cruise Director Willie Aames combed the decks and hallways greeting the guests. The atmosphere was festive and fun. From then on, we could greet our neighbors by name. Such a creative, thoughtful touch.
CHAMPAGNE AND CAVIAR FOR BREAKFAST
A lovely Sunday breakfast tradition. What luck! We had two Sundays on the ship. Talk about living la dolce vita.
ENRICHMENT LECTURES
We have lost count of the number of cruises we have taken. At least fifty. Sandra Bowern was, in our opinion, the best enrichment lecturer of all. Not only was she supremely knowledgeable, -- her engaging, cheerful, charming, and warm style was absolutely wonderful.
ESPRESSO MACHINE IN SUITES
There are many venues on the ship for coffee, including room service. The problem, we find, is that in order to obtain coffee, one most likely will have to encounter people. We love people. After a cup of coffee, that is. (We barely talk to each other until at least a half cup is downed.) Sipping espresso from our balcony with our darling little demi-tasse cups while arriving at the port of day ... exquisite.
ENTERTAINMENT
We thoroughly enjoyed the shows. We especially appreciated the variety of the shows and the talent of the Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers. Real dancers! With real bodies ... wow. Seriously -- on some cruise lines the dancers have so much silicone that, in case of emergency, possibly the best survival technique would be to simply hold on to a dancer. (Guaranteed floatation.)
The trio in the Voyager Lounge, Nature's Rhythm, drew us in nightly. They played a variety of music and the dance floor was rarely empty (but not full, which was sweet.) The tall one who played the base had the most amazing voice. They were also hilarious...sprinkling a dose of their quirky dry humor throughout their show.
THE STAFF
What a personable lot! All of them. Two stand out:
Willie Aames, the Cruise Director, was one of the most down-to-earth cruise directors we've met. Willie even conducted the non-denominational Sunday service. He crafted a lovely service, sharing his experience of going from a movie star-to playboy-to becoming an ordained minister. Very touching. Willie was a refreshing change from the "Rico Suave" types we're used to. In fact, he was often seen wearing hand knit sweaters from the local Scandinavian ports. He was approachable and genuinely kind.
Conny the Concierge was our hero. Icelandair managed to lose our luggage. The agent at Icelandair promised our luggage would arrive the following day. Nope. Not the following day, either. Or the next. We called a number of times and the agent, let's just call him "Lars Liarsson," kept promising: "your luggages vill be dare een da morgen." Once we got onboard and gave the information to Conny, she was all over Icelandair. And effective. She gave us frequent updates on her progress. On day four of the cruise, she personally delivered our suitcases. We doubt that we would have been reunited with our luggage without Conny. So grateful.
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In wrapping up, we were, basically blown away in the best way by the entire cruise. We encountered just one glitch:
THERE IS ALWAYS ONE (in every crowd)
Regent Seven Sea's "no tolerance" policy on smoking was another influence in our decision to try RSSC. It was not long after setting sail that we were aware that someone was smoking. Uninvited carcinogens aside, we are also stench-averse. And what a stench! Once we traced the location of the culprit, we left a nice note on his cabin door requesting that he cease smoking on his balcony. It might have been my imagination, but it seemed as if he stepped it up. I don't much like being a tattle-tale, but we were cruising in one of the most staggeringly beautiful places, -- blessed with a sheer abundance of purifying pristine alpine air...and yet -- there was that stench.
We made a report. The situation was immediately investigated, but the guy denied that anyone in the cabin smoked. What could they do?
So the stench continued.
So...do you know what I did?
I shot him.
With my camera. It was a good shot. Crystal-clear obvious who was smoking and where.
The guy was that idiot-arrogant...leaning on his balcony, just puffing away. He saw me take the picture. What a scowl! Then he disappeared.
So did the stench. Ah. Clean, clear air. He didn't smoke on his balcony again until the last morning of the cruise. I guess he figured: "what're they going to do? Kick me off the ship?"
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With a twelve night cruise and only one negative experience, we can call this one fabulous cruise.
We will forever treasure our memories of our Vikings and Vistas voyage on the Voyager.
We can hardly wait for our next cruise with RSSC. Read Less

My wife and I take a holiday every August to celebrate our anniversary and decompress from an otherwise stressful existence. We are fairly well traveled and prefer to stay in high end hotels frequently using Relais and Chateaux as well as ... Read More

My wife and I take a holiday every August to celebrate our anniversary and decompress from an otherwise stressful existence. We are fairly well traveled and prefer to stay in high end hotels frequently using Relais and Chateaux as well as Leading hotels... We have sailed on Silversea as well as Cunard in the past although we are not avid cruisers and generally prefer to string several unique hotels together and "wander" at our own pace. We set up our own excursions with private guides or rental cars at the port. (were really not the 40 passenger bus type). On one port we booked a "choice" excursion but more on that later. This ship seems to have been reviewed many times so i'll skip the in depth physical description and give my overall impression.
We booked this cruise on the suggestion of our travel agent who described Regent as on par with Silversea which I would disagree with on almost every point. While I don't think there is a truly 5 star 5 diamond Michelin 3 star experience at sea short of a private yacht charter. In hotel terms I was hoping for a ritz carlton rather than a Relais what I got was an airport Marriott. Very clean and efficient; everything that was needed was provided but it was in no way a high end experience.
We were in Europe and took this cruise as part of a larger holiday so we had been in Denmark at the Falsled Kro property south of Odense (I would highly recommend) we drove into the city Sunday morning and boarded the ship at 12:30pm and were herded into the ships theatre where we sat for 20min waiting on the check in clerks to discover how to use the computer system (presumably they do this every week right??) One interesting side note was that the cruise director (a former child star of some sort) was participating in a reality TV show so for the first few hours there was a film crew onboard... not welcome or particularly high end in any capacity.... After getting our suite key we were told that the housekeepers had not managed to clean the room quite yet and we could sit in the theatre or there was a buffet at the pool. Not being much on buffet dining but wanting to see the ship we chose to wander about and were "caught" on the 7th floor and asked to go to the pool deck or theatre... a bit like boarding school but alas we went up to the pool where we did get a first hand look at the film crew circulating about....
Once we were allowed to go to our room around 330 we found it to be a little dated but clean and efficient... we were in a "penthouse suite" although it was not a large size somewhere in the neighborhood of 350sq feet all in. The room had a nice closet and a workable bathroom. Our butler came and introduced himself and was very helpful and many times during our stay.
In my opinion I would skip the cost and hassle of getting a table in one of the special restaurants... as far a haute french cuisine goes the signature restaurant falls short... we found dishes to be tasty but service was very slow both nights we tried it... the one night we ate in the compass rose room (the standard dinning room) we found service to be prompt and there was the ability to order dishes from the other places and have them served in the compass rose...
We did not attend any of the performances offered in the theatre so we cant really comment on the quality or variety although they did seem to offer something every evening. We did stop in the cigar bar although I would recommend bringing your own supply if you are a true cigar enthusiast as the selection provided is quite pricy and not stored in optimal conditions... the bar tender in the lounge was very friendly although he was stretched between working the cigar bar and the other lounge bar across the hall making for very slow service...
On every stop but one we booked our own private tours choosing not to use the "included" tours offered through the company... most of the included tours consisted of mainly tour bus type trips with very little in depth exploration.... there were several small group tours offered but most were a 150-300.00pp extra cost... cheaper than a private excursion but not exactly all inclusive...
We had one problem on the ship which revolved around the restaurant mixing up a dish and serving my wife soup with a shell fish base (she is allergic and the wait staff were informed of the allergy) needless to say she got very and we missed a day at port as a result... no apologies from anyone or even a recognition that she was ill or a request to see if they could help....
All in all I would say that this is a 3.5 to 4 star vacation experience at best... yes there is ample food and booze included if you prefer rail drinks and blandish meat and potato american steak house sort of food. Once you venture into specialty restaurants and decent wine your spending extra money at the same rate you would on any other ship so what is the relative value of the extra few thousand in fair? Dito for the tours they are mostly mass produced bus trip sort of affairs and if you start to book unique experiences then your going to pay for it the same way you would on any other boat... Read Less

This was our first cruise and it could not have been more beautiful. We were treated like royalty the entire trip and wanted for nothing. We felt completely spoiled. Yes is was a smaller ship but that was the fun of it. Everything was ... Read More

This was our first cruise and it could not have been more beautiful. We were treated like royalty the entire trip and wanted for nothing. We felt completely spoiled. Yes is was a smaller ship but that was the fun of it. Everything was more personal and the crew from top to bottom all tried to please. The only naysayers we encountered were a very few snobs with a sense of arrogance and entitlement. There is more activities on board than one can do , unless you never sleep!
The shore excursions could be a little more replete in their explanations. For instance, the "jungle ATV trip" (Cozumel)does not go from point "A" to point "B" as it implies; it is all on a course and I guess for good reason, but you cover about a five-acre course that day. However, the guides and their crew were soooo accommodating we had a great time.
The Belieze Mayan ruins were fantastic and the guides could not have been more wonderful and friendly.
Roatan was our favorite. The guides on the snorkeling and kayaking went above and beyond their duties. We plan on going back just to visit this spot and meet those people again.
Key West was extremely interesting, lots of history, and just plain fun. I would not recommend the glass bottom boat unless you're not prone to motion sickness. I would recommend the walking tour and the vehicle tour.
At times there was some vibration on the ship, especially at the back end; but , Hey! , you're out on a ship on the ocean.
The "suite" we had out-performed those on Crystal cruises and the bed was the best I ever slept in.
The entertainers were far above what we expected for such a small venue. They worked hard and were flawless in their shows as well as Jimmy Travist, the musician/comedian.
Our only regret was it ended too soon and we can't wait to go on another one with Regent.
One last hint; book your cruise through Regent. We discovered too late that , had we done so, we could have had our airfare and motel included for what we paid. Read Less

This is our third cruise on the Navigator. Each one has been fantastic. The food is excellent, the staff efficient and friendly and the cabins very clean and comfortable. The staff are as attentive as ever and nothing is too much trouble ... Read More

This is our third cruise on the Navigator. Each one has been fantastic. The food is excellent, the staff efficient and friendly and the cabins very clean and comfortable. The staff are as attentive as ever and nothing is too much trouble for them. Over the three cruises we have found that on the whole the excursions which are included are really good. The advantage of Regent Seven Seas is that once you are on board everything is included. To date our three cruises with Regent have been on the Navigator , next year we will be trying one of their other ships, however I'm sure we will be back on the Navigator at some point in the future. We have tried other cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity) but none have come anywhere near to Regent Seven Seas. Read Less

This was a trip of a lifetime. We have wanted to do an Alaskan cruise for years and now we are empty nesters we thought this is the best time. If you really want to experience Alaska, don't wait until you retire or are too old and ... Read More

This was a trip of a lifetime. We have wanted to do an Alaskan cruise for years and now we are empty nesters we thought this is the best time. If you really want to experience Alaska, don't wait until you retire or are too old and crippled to get out and experience it.
The ship was luxurious and in good shape. Sure there were a few carpet stains here or there in cabin hallways but it was clean and our concierge level room was spacious and comfortable. Don't let picky people discourage you with there bad review. It was not that dated. It was very quiet. We had Room 927 which I think was the perfect room. It was centered just enough to prevent feeling of the ship motion, one quick level below pool deck and bar, next to the elevators which we could never hear. Most of time we wondered where everyone was at, either in our room or even out in the halls. The verandah was comfortable for two people. AND, you only have one neighbor. Behind us was a foyer for the elevators and never saw a person even standing looking out the windows there even. The laundrette was a room away. You are actually outside the glass doors to the hall way (which were never shut) so we felt like we were not part of the club or missing out somehow but we got the better deal I think. They don't need those doors.
The smaller ship got us extremely close to Hubbard Glacier, closer than most ships can get and it was originally an ice breaker...so thicker hull. No worries as chunks of ice floated by.
Service was first class. Food was great and we are "foodies" so we are particular about taste and selection. I NEVER paid for any alcohol and I drank Guiness and Sam Adams beers, 12 year Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie single malt whisky, some great cabernets and chardonnays from California, Italy, France, and several premium vodkas. The only thing I paid for was a Hoya Monterrey Especial cigar in the Cigar room.
Shows at night were all good but get there 30 minutes before to get good seats, theater is small but comfortable. Upper level sides are hard to see from at times.
Excursions were great. Have to be flexible. Our dog sledding got cancelled for weather but they offered helicopter up to glacier and drank water from the glacier stream. Wow. Crab feast was great even for kids but there is long staircase down to shoreline, even longer going back up. Saw Eagles close up. Kayaking with Glacier view is not what was advertised. The glacier is like 20 miles or way or more IF there are no clouds. You kayak in a bay. Saw eagles close up and was fun and worth it but NOT what we were expecting.
Few tiny negatives: 1. The ship vibration is felt in heavy seas due to powerful engines (to get through ice!) We rarely felt it except in the back of ship, in the restaurant the night going through open waters in Gulf of Alaska. Never felt it in the Inside Passage. I WOULD NOT book any rooms in the aft cabins.
2. Exercise room is tiny and opens at 7:00 AM (was 3 hours past our body time) and you couldn't use machines until 8:00 am because it made noise for rooms below. Yet people were dropping weights! So...DO NOT book a room in the stern of ship on Level 10 under the exercise facility!
3. They need to improve their systems for those with food allergy. My wife has a tree nut allergy and we had to constantly be on guard and say something at every meal. Be proactive if you are allergic but you should be anyway. People without any don't understand.
TIPS:
1. Bring a powerstrip, very few outlets to charge phones, etc.
2. Bring a good camera like a Canon Rebel (no thinking) and get a telephoto lens as well. Bring multiple 16mB data cards since I promise you will want to take tons of pictures. I backed them up everyday on ship computer in library by copying over to another card and wife kept to make sure we didn't loose any pictures somehow (loss, airline lost luggage, etc.) Also bring a video camera like a little palm size Sony. Got to film Hubbard Glacier calving and hear the thunder cracking. I WISH i had bought a waterproof GoPro camera. We went kayaking and my video camera fogged up inside my coat pocket. Fuzzy pictures.
3. You need more water repellent clothing than cold weather. We had Underarmor Coldgear under clothes and usually hot. We got wet more than we got cold.
4. Ask for stuff at dinner if you want it and you don't see it listed. I got Creme Brulee and Scallops and extra anchovies just by asking my waiter.
5. I would only take a ship sponsored excursion unless you just can't get on one you want. The ship will be more inclined to wait longer if you are not back by ALL Aboard.
6. Make YOUR OWN flight arrangements. We did not get to Vancouver until 11:30 pm and could not enjoy the 4 Seasons hotel any. They will put you on flights that are inconvenient and underused, thus are cheaper for the cruise line that way. Spend the extra to tell them what flights you want.
7. Try to get there a day or two early to see the city before the cruise. We couldn't gone from our business any longer than we were but wished we could have seen a little of it.
8. Don't overpack. We wore same pants and underlayers two days in a row for excursions. The laundrette is free and provides soap automatically. Easy. And if premium cabin, your butler can press things for you.
9. You don't need boots for the glacier or dog sledding. They provide boot coverings to go over regular shoes. i would wear normal tennis shoes or trekking shoes. I wore my heavy Timberland insulated hiking boots on the plane trips to save luggage weight and didn't need them.
10. Ask if there are any big companies or corporations or meetings on the cruise. Shell oil had 120 people and it did interfere a little with meals since they all went down at same time one night before a big presentation.
11. Sitka was about the only place that didn't have mass jewelry stores that apparently the big cruise lines own and put at all their ports of call. It's a pretty town but I wouldn't walk it much. We would recommend going to raptor center instead unless you don't have an excursion like we did salmon fishing. Our boat caught some but others didn't.
12. Juneau has a homeless soup kitchen with crackheads and derelicts walking around downtown where the stores are. We went to the Red Dog Saloon which had good food but when we walked around the stores, we were hit up for money and did not feel safe. Several druggies were being loud and arguing at each other and overhead some talking about losing some tourist they were watching. I was wishing I had a pocket knife I normally carry, it was that bad. Until the city does something, DO NOT WALK around Juneau, especially the tourist stores. Take an excursion and go back directly to the boat.
13. Don't buy anything from the tourist stores. Do really need a hat or Tshirt that says Alaska or something about bears? The kids you left at home don't want that stuff either. If you have to buy a trinket souvenir, buy from a shop that is a locally owned one.
14. Journal everything you did, especially at the end of the day. You start forgetting stuff after a day. I posted my journal entry on Facebook each day once we were home (for home security), with pictures, for friends and family and they said they felt like they had been there with us.
15. Get a verandah. Sure it's cool or raining sometimes but sometimes it's beautiful and you can sit out and drink coffee watching all the islands or wildlife. If it is raining and cold, you can watch from the very back of the boat outside where it is protected from wind and they have heaters.
16. Bring an insulated mug. I had read that but didn't want to load suitcase down. You will want it for coffee or just water. The cups they give you are tiny. I got up at 5:00 am most days and went down to library and could get coffee and read paper. Internet is slow but can get online. May have to pay if on a lot or uploading stuff.
17. Plan your trip and start paying for it a year ahead so you can plan, organize and shop accordingly beforehand and get the room, excursions, etc. you want.
18. Live life now and don't wait until retirement. It may not come. Our dads got sick and died and never got to enjoy much retirement and traveling after. Go and do NOW!
In the end, it was an awesome time, an great ship and staff, we would recommend it to anyone. Have fun! Read Less

My husband and I sailed to Alaska on Regent Cruise Lines' Navigator. Like many cruisers, I did a lot of homework prior to choosing a line. I encourage folks to read these reviews to help with clothing, expectations on excursions and ... Read More

My husband and I sailed to Alaska on Regent Cruise Lines' Navigator. Like many cruisers, I did a lot of homework prior to choosing a line. I encourage folks to read these reviews to help with clothing, expectations on excursions and the like. I want to start with the good. The scenery is absolutely incredible and the Navigator's small size allowed us to get to ports that some of the larger cruise lines could not. Speaking of ship size, we loved the smaller number of passengers that allowed us to get to know some really great people. The excursions were very enjoyable and Regent had plenty to choose from. Kudos! My husband is a real foody and one of the reasons we chose Regent was that our travel agent recommended it for the quality of food. Our favorite was Seti Mari and it's great Italian fare but we kept hearing about how good their signature restaurant 7 was. Well, we were disappointed to say the least. Foie Gras was 1) not good, 2) a spec on our plate and 3) the accompanying wine was subpar to say the least. I believe they sell it at WALMART! With that being said, we did not go back to 7. Breakfast in La Veranda was very good. The entertainment was great and the Navigator Lounge was always a blast. I think that any Alaskan cruise is going to end up being pricey. Regent is no exception, BUT it is great not worrying about tipping or any added expenses because all that is paid for up front. That allowed us to really enjoy ourselves. Will we cruise with them again? Yes. But I hope that they read these reviews and adjust some of there ways. Read Less

Sailed through the pretty fall colors, and loved every minute of it. I am quite partial to Regent because of the smaller ships, the friendly, excellent service, and the all-inclusive nature. Navigator is my favorite because it is ... Read More

Sailed through the pretty fall colors, and loved every minute of it. I am quite partial to Regent because of the smaller ships, the friendly, excellent service, and the all-inclusive nature. Navigator is my favorite because it is smaller, and I have yet to queue for anything! We watched others on the larger ships in port queuing for ages just to get on the ship.
I also appreciate that Regent's employees get time off the ship, and seem to be genuinely enjoying their jobs. I know that is not the case with a lot of other cruise lines.
And, I like that there is true interaction between staff and passengers - on the last night of the cruise, we were all dancing with the dancers and singing with the Cruise Director, Jamie. That was really fun!
To be fair, the Navigator is best for adults and grown families - there aren't a lot of amenities for the younger crowd (or perhaps that was just the nature of this particular sailing, which is entirely possible. And this was not an issue for us, as we don't have kids! Just a comment, though.
The variety of shore excursions, and the care with which local guides are chosen, is of the highest quality.
Navigator is due for a facelift next year (2016) so cosmetically, she'll be spruced up again. She is still a quality ship as far as I'm concerned. Read Less

We chose this cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Having sailed on several 5* lines, we wanted something extra special, so we opted for Regent. We stayed in a concierge suite 836, just above the small lifeboat. This position ... Read More

We chose this cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Having sailed on several 5* lines, we wanted something extra special, so we opted for Regent. We stayed in a concierge suite 836, just above the small lifeboat. This position was perfect.
Navigator is a lovely ships, even better for her recent refurbishment, she looks wonderful.
This ship has everything you would want, lovely theatre, very cozy and comfortable, just one show per night at 9.30pm. They do a crew show at the end of the cruise, which was very entertaining. The crew are amazing, always happy and can't do enough for you, without imposing. Being just 490 passengers, you get to know them quickly. Faces recognised, even when off the ship. We made several friends very quickly too, everyone was so nice, Americans, Canadians, British and others.
Dining was a wonderful experience. The Compass Rose is very light with lights that change colour. One night was blue, the next pink. The food was as we expected, excellent. We even ordered a curry to our taste one night, ready to enjoy the following night, we thoroughly enjoyed this. Prime 7 is off La Veranda in the evening. This is the grill and the steak and lobster is excellent. We managed to eat here twice. On the 2nd night we had a lovely surprise cake for our anniversary, even though the actual day had past. We shared this with our table guests.
The pool area had plenty of loungers with nice toweling covers, plenty of room around you with a small side table for your drink. There is a bar and ice cream available and the pool grill serving food until 4pm. We don't usually sit around the pool on other ships, as this was the only pool we did and felt very relaxed doing so.
One other nice surprise was an invitation to join the cruise director John Barron for dinner in The Compass Rose, which of course, we accepted. What a great character he is, very funny.
Most mornings we ate breakfast in La Veranda as we were on a tour, plenty of choice here. Compass Rose was too slow if you are in a hurry to catch a coach.
The included tours were very good, although an extra hour to some of the places would have be better, like the caves in Bari for example, we missed seeing the white cave. The trip to Muranos' famous glass factory was only 1 hours, I needed much longer, but did manage to buy some glass, although it was rushed.
We really liked this ship and would love to sail on her again, sooner if possible. She really did feel like home from home. Read Less

Regent Seven Seas on the Mariner cruise from Vancouver to Seward,Alaska was outstanding--could not ask for more!
We ( six young seniors) took the Regent Seven Seas from Vancouver to Seward, Alaska! Must say the staff and crew are there ... Read More

Regent Seven Seas on the Mariner cruise from Vancouver to Seward,Alaska was outstanding--could not ask for more!
We ( six young seniors) took the Regent Seven Seas from Vancouver to Seward, Alaska! Must say the staff and crew are there to ensure you have great time. They literately do not say “no” to your requests!
Ship: It was the right size for the 700 passengers-- never felt crowds or any lines. Regent is very organized loading and offloading passengers from and onto the ship. During offloads, they have someone at every corner to ensure you get where you want to be. That includes Canada and US customs on going at the same time! The ship is very good conditions. Saw a prior write up of wear. But we did not see any wear at all. Very clean and well kept ship.
Cabin: Excellent! Just as the description in all the brochures. Spotless-very clean, well-supplied with everything to include a fresh fruit bowl every day. All items well stocked continuously. Even our liquor needs were provided as required.
Dining: Excellent! The Prime 7 and Signature restaurants match or are better than any top restaurant in Dallas, TX. Shame we could only eat there once each. The other two restaurants are very- very good. At times, they serve the same food prepared for Prime 7 or Signature. The service was outstanding and very friendly -always had someone ready to provide service to your table. We never had a problem getting a table for our six travelers. Breakfast was a large buffet that also had a grill for eggs, cooked the way you wanted. There is even a coffee bar for those early risers.
Services: Cannot say enough of the very friendly and supportive crew and staff. They answered every question we asked or took you to someone who could. There is a daily newspaper and TV broadcast of all activities and events and instructions on how to do “everything! Point of examples: (1) First night – ask for whisky and vodka for our suite—they brought us a large bottle (fifth) of each to the cabin! (2) Our group of 6 travelers wanted a quite dinner –so we requested room service for the food for all of us in one of the penthouse suites. The staff brought us menus and took our special requests and delivered it all on time! We had a great time feasting, drinking and telling ole stories!
Port and excursions: All port and excursions were very organized and well executed. Never were in any crowds or waiting lines. All the excursions we were on were highly enjoyable with every experienced and educated staff and leads.
We will go again--- and again! Read Less

We took this trip as a multi-generational family with participants ranging from 17 to 70. Very few children or teens on this cruise. Age definitely leaned toward seniors. The ship was luxurious. Lots of active excursions made the trip fun ... Read More

We took this trip as a multi-generational family with participants ranging from 17 to 70. Very few children or teens on this cruise. Age definitely leaned toward seniors. The ship was luxurious. Lots of active excursions made the trip fun for all age ranges. Speciality restaurants were great. The staff was genuinely nice.
It was a great way to see the beauty of Alaska. Cruising from port to port in Alaska was more impressive than cruising the Caribbean as you are never far from the shore the views are simply breathe taking, especially the Glacier.
Anyone looking for teen or children club environment will be disappointed as there are not enough participants to make it work. But excursions and on-demand movies will keep most kids happily entertained. Evening entertainment was good. Cirque style dancers were amazing.
The piano bar was a great romantic get away for adults. The pianist was just the greatest guy ever and now has me hopelessly searching for piano bars back in LA. The bar made fabulous cocktails, especially martinis.
My husband and I would not hesitate to sail on Regent again. My teens and young adult children....probably not. But this is no fault of the cruise line. Read Less

Amazing Cruise from pre-cruise accommodations to post cruise trip!! My husband and I had never been on a cruise beforehand. My husband said he would never go on a cruise except to Alaska, so since it was our 40th Anniversary, we ... Read More

Amazing Cruise from pre-cruise accommodations to post cruise trip!! My husband and I had never been on a cruise beforehand. My husband said he would never go on a cruise except to Alaska, so since it was our 40th Anniversary, we researched the different options available and decided to book with Regent. My husband did not want a large ship and I did not want a small ship, so we compromised on Regent. We are both glad we did. The entire experience was phenomenal!
We liked the fact that the cruise was all-inclusive. This included most shore excursions, liquor, except premium brands, room service, all tipping, plane fare and pre-cruise accommodations at the Four Seasons in Vancouver. The ship was great - all rooms had a balcony with lounge chairs, blankets and binoculars. The staff was fantastic, many different nationalities, but all super friendly. Our room #955 was a good size with a large closet, nice bathroom with shower, vanity, tv with unlimited movies, very comfortable bed, refrigerator stocked with beverages of your choice. There were daily nattated lectures about the cities we would visit, card and board games, ping-pong on the upper deck, pool and jacuzzi, casino and theatre with evening performances, daily tea time with sweets and wonderful tea. All of the restaurants were outstanding, we never had a bad meal.
All of offshore excursions were educational and fun and exciting with fantastic guides. Ketchikan was wet but fun to walk Creek Street. In Juneau, we did the Whales, Glaciers and Rainforest Trails which was challenging going up and down through the forest following part of the trail the gold prospectors followed. We also did the Tracy Arm & Endicott Fjords. In Sitka, we visited St. Michael Cathedral where you could see the beautiful artifacts from the early Russian settlers and it is still used today by the Russian Orthodox Church, The Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest and Ocean Raft Adventures where we wore Baltic Sea suits to ride the raft as we travelled the area. We also had a great time on the Tracy Arm and Endicott fjords. The weather was not great, in the mid 50's with rain, but we were well prepared with clothing.
The Denali post-cruise trip was unbelievable ! Fantastic tour director Tracy Wimmer and bus driver, Rose Johnson. Accommodations at the Hotel Alyeska were fantastic, Grande Denali Lodge was not as elegant but okay. We stayed at the Sheraton in Anchorage the day before departure. The room and hotel were dated but the rooms were large and clean. The brunch was okay, but after the amazing food on the Regent, not much could surpass that. Read Less

The massive amount of hype surrounding “The most luxurious ship ever built” turned out to be much more than hype. From the moment we walked on the ship we felt the ambiance of true luxury. There was the normal staff greeting with ... Read More

The massive amount of hype surrounding “The most luxurious ship ever built” turned out to be much more than hype. From the moment we walked on the ship we felt the ambiance of true luxury. There was the normal staff greeting with champagne but the surrounding fixtures in this grand atrium made it feel like we were walking into a luxury hotel property in the center of Rome or Paris. We took the ornate spiraling staircase down to grab some lunch in the dining room and had our first “wow” moment. As you stand and look down toward the restaurant, you feel like you are at a grand hall in a museum. The amazing glass fixtures, chandeliers and the artwork all come together beautifully. The blue glass design in the ceiling of the dining room was one of the most photographed places due to the incredible ambiance it gives to the room. Everyone seems to get so hyped up about the specialty restaurants on Regent but we found ourselves back in the main dining room more than the specialty restaurants due to the array of choices that were offered at every meal.
Once we finished lunch we toured the ship. Every turn brought a new impression of art and elegance. The spa and workout facility are just one of the differences when you have a ship with this type of space to guest ratio. The entrance is a curved marble hallway that truly feels like a spa entrance at a resort versus a ship. There is a sitting area and what seemed like a full size hair salon with glass windows looking out to the art in the hallway. Once you passed the check-in desk there is another winding staircase that takes you up to the gym which is huge and has the latest and greatest in exercise equipment. In the spa itself you’ll find steam rooms, steam showers with multi spraying nozzles, aromatherapy showers where you pick your scent from a button on the wall, cold rooms with snow and more! The beauty of all of these options is that you don’t have to buy a spa treatment to use any of this as it is included at no additional fee. If you do get a spa treatment the gratuities are included in the price so what you see in the myriad of choices is what you pay. The spa staff members are all experienced from other Canyon Ranch facilities and were fabulous.
Each specialty restaurant made us feel like we were dining at a top notch New York or Los Angeles restaurant. They each had their own look and feel but the Pacific Rim is really off the charts. You walk into a lobby that is centered with an authentic Tibetan prayer wheel that is so large that the ship had to be built with extra reinforcements as they only wanted to use the real thing. It’s hard to explain but it is massive and makes such a statement. You then proceed down layered steps that create such a dramatic entrance it is hard not to think you are somewhere special. With all of the specialty restaurants, the food was off the charts and the servers did a great job getting to know you for the next time they saw you onboard. We connected with Pierre who would reach out to us and remember little things that made our dining even more enjoyable.
The entertainment in the evenings was nice especially with so many options. There was the showroom that had different themes each night plus two lounges with live music for select tastes along with a DJ in the observation lounge. We always found something to enjoy after dinner. The casino was full each night also. There are two pools, an infinity pool off the back of the ship by the spa (open to all guests,) and the main pool with two levels of seating. There are all types of cozy pool chairs, beds and cocoons with room for everyone. There is a culinary kitchen where you take cooking classes. This was a highlight as the chef gives out so many great tips while you are learning to cook three or four items. If you enjoy cooking, try this out but take notes! She gives so many random tips for daily cooking you just can’t remember all of them. The cooking classes do come with a fee but it is well worth it. In some ports you can even shop with the chef then come back and do the cooking. The top of the ship has a nice putting green, a tennis court, shuffleboard and an actual bocce court!
The cabin that we had was amazing with a wonderful butler. There are many cabins that have the bed situated where you are both looking out to sea. It’s a great layout and the concierge cabins have a really nice size balcony with a lounge chair. The closets are huge and there is so much storage room in the cabins that you can tell they were well thought out. I can’t imagine there is a “bad” cabin anywhere on this ship. We’ve cruised on Silversea and Crystal in the past 18 months so we understand what we should expect in a luxury product and this made the mark. We can’t wait to go back. Read Less

Regent Seven Seas markets its cruises as first class. In some ways it almost is but other parts are so bad that it ruined the good parts. This cruise line goes the cheapest route when it comes to airline travel and hotels. Regent is ... Read More

Regent Seven Seas markets its cruises as first class. In some ways it almost is but other parts are so bad that it ruined the good parts. This cruise line goes the cheapest route when it comes to airline travel and hotels. Regent is EXPENSIVE and only if you drink and eat an extraordinary amount will you get your money's worth.
Bad -- Emergency situations: Disastrous. Their emergency number took over an hour to answer, then put us on hold, when our air transportation got changed by them and we were marooned. Air Travel -- we were supposed to have Business Class and instead they booked us on a third rate local airline and it resulted in us missing a connection and a whole day's vacation plus paying $500+ for hotel and taxi to a different airport which Regent refused to pay. We later learned from experienced Regent travelers to check what flights you want and then insist they book you on them.
Internet -- we had no internet for most of the cruise, despite being told we would and printed marketing material indicating full time internet. If you have to do business while traveling, do not take this cruise line. One fellow passenger missed an important stock trade and was hysterical because there was no internet. Despite promises to fix it, it never was fully functional.
Embarkation/Debarkation: Disorganized, confusing and way too time consuming. Ditto for baggage handing. Hotels: They book you into average hotels with basic rooms, definitely not first class. Our hotel room in Reykjavik was so small we couldn't even turn around, also hot and stuffy. In Copenhagen we inquired about upgrading our room and were told that Regent only books "Basic" rooms, not first class.
Good: Fabulously well trained staff especially our private Butler. The best part of the trip. All other staff on board were very polite and helpful. However, lowly staff can only do so much when management is lacking. Entertainment was excellent but for first time Regent cruisers it should have been better explained as to how to be seated, etc. Most food better than average except the premier Prime 7 where we had two bad meals. The French restaurant, Signatures, was very good. The basic restaurants Compass Rose and the Veranda were good and wine selections were also good. Overall, all service on board was excellent, including our Butler, cleaning staff, servers, bartenders, etc.
Word of advice, this cruise is not for families as it is appeared to be older than average crowd. Some patrons were much too elderly/infirm to do the excursions and yet were allowed to participate, resulting in inconveniencing everyone else.
If you are looking for a totally first class experience, we would suggest a different cruise line. Read Less

Where to start? We just returned from our third Navigator cruise last night. I'll admit that I have a bit of a soft spot for this ship, as this was our first cruise ship we ever booked back in 2009. We were anxious to see her after ... Read More

Where to start? We just returned from our third Navigator cruise last night. I'll admit that I have a bit of a soft spot for this ship, as this was our first cruise ship we ever booked back in 2009. We were anxious to see her after her recent refurbishment and to see how we liked her (or if we still did, considering some of the bad press we'd seen lately). If you don't feel like reading the entire review, I'll save you the time - we still love this ship, and we still love cruising on Regent.
The updates to the Navigator make her seem more contemporary and fresher. I felt that the ship was in superb condition and the new color schemes make her look more elegant and functional. There was a lot of grumbling about the missing drawers in the cabins (we were in a D on deck 8) but to tell the truth, I didn't see it as a problem at all. There were two of us in a cabin for 12 nights and we didn't even come close to using the drawers in the closet, and we didn't really miss the old drawers in the desk area. Maybe it would be an issue on a longer cruise, but I don't feel like anything was lost. The new colors are soothing, and the bed was supremely comfortable. The common areas rarely felt crowded (exception: embarkation was a bit crowded) and we never had an issue with lines for dining or any other venues.
Navigator is the least foodie-friendly ship in the Regent fleet, with only one specialty restaurant (Prime 7) but again, on a shorter itinerary, this wasn't an issue. We felt that the selection and quality of the food was very good to excellent. Included wines were usually good and often very good. Spirit selection could be better (especially in the brown liquor area) but it was fun to experiment with cocktails outside of my normal "scotch in a glass".
I am not a big fan of the shows on board, but I have to admit that the ones I attended on this cruise seemed better than before. My past cruises, I often spent part of the evenings after dinner sitting in the Connoisseur Club with a brandy and a cigar; that's no longer an option on Navigatgor. I did miss it somewhat, but not as much as I thought I would. Maybe that's why I attended more shows, who knows?
With very few exceptions, we found the service on board to be superb. The lows: Compass Rose and Pool Deck sometimes took too long to identify and correct empty glasses. To a person, everyone we came across was friendly, helpful, and knowledgable. Our cabin steward was fantastic, friendly, efficient, and unobtrusive. She went out of her way to help my wife and I with any special requests we had, The bar staff and waiters quickly got to know us and know what we liked. The CD, Jamie Logan, and his wife Dana were seemingly everywhere at once, and you could always see them mingling with the guests and sharing a story or giving advice. They both helped make this a special cruise, too.
Ports and shore excursions - the first half of this trip was mostly ports we'd visited before and we took different excursions to get a different feel. For the most part, they were good, although I feel like they're starting to cram too many people in each tour. We had one tour guide in Malta who was definitely substandard, but all of the others were fantastic. We upgraded probably three or four of our tours to the Regent Choice excursions, and these are always nice; slower pace, fewer guests, and always something to remember. The 'Lunch in a Private Villa' in Taromina is a must-do, we did this one a second time this trip since we had family with us we wanted to share this with. It's definitely worth the upcharge!
The second half of this trip took us to ports we had not yet visited, and they were all amazing. Although this itinerary was changed from Istanbul to Haifa after we booked, we decided to stick with the cruise, and we're glad we did! Israel was fantastic, a definite must-see if you've never been. We spent three days there and barely scratched the surface of what you can do and see there. I'd definitely go back!
As we often do, we booked our air and lodging through Regent Air. Yes, it's a bit more expensive but to us, it's worth it. Knowing that our transfers and lodging are all set up gives us peace of mind in case anything goes south. We had first class transfers, and our hotels were great (Melia Serria in Barcelona, Dan Carmel in Haifa).
This particular cruise had more kids on board than we had expected, but they were mostly quiet and well-behaved. Not 100%, mind you, but not bad. We probably had more issues with cranky seniors than whiny toddlers. :-)
So in a nutshell, my wife and I ranked this as probably our best cruise yet. The price was reasonable, the service was pretty damn good, the ship was in great shape, and the crew was fantastic.
Negatives: My wife didn't get her cranberry juice for breakfast one morning. My water glass sat empty for a good 10-15 minutes on the Pool Deck one afternoon. Destination Services should probably enforce more mobility controls on the tours - i.e. if you can't walk 50 feet in 15 minutes, you probably shouldn't be on a 3-walker rated tour...but they'd probably get sued if they tried to enforce that, so I see why they leave it up to each person. Also, did I mention that the Internet absolutely sucked? Sucked to the point of being unusable? I tried my iPad in my cabin, my iPad in the computer lounge, the computers in the computer lounge, my iPhone everywhere in the ship, and I couldn't ever get a decent connection, and I'd get logged off every 8-12 minutes, right in the middle of a session. Sometimes you couldn't even reach the server to log off. It was bad. Really bad. Hideously bad. Don't expect to work on board if you need to - you're better off taking a tablet ashore and poaching wifi from a cafe or a hotel.
Positives: Pretty much everything else. Service was stellar 99.9% of the time. Food was very good to excellent. The oldest ship in the Regent fleet looks fresh and modern again. And the suites are large in every category, which is a huge plus for us.
Would we sail Navigator again? Absolutely. This was our third trip on this ship, and she's getting better each time we sail her.
Would we sail Regent again? Well, let's just say that we had one more Regent cruise booked when we embarked in Barcelona, and by the time we debarked in Haifa, we had three booked, two on Explorer and one on Voyager.
Hope this review helps you with your cruising plans. Enjoy!!! Read Less

We chose this cruise for the destinations and the fact that the ship remained in St. Petersburg 3 days. We also had not been to any of the destinations before so enjoyed the ease of tours each day. We were pleased with embarkation and ... Read More

We chose this cruise for the destinations and the fact that the ship remained in St. Petersburg 3 days. We also had not been to any of the destinations before so enjoyed the ease of tours each day. We were pleased with embarkation and disembarkation with one exception. We purchased transport to ship and back to airport. When we were leaving for home, we walked out of the terminal area to realize we had no clear understanding of what bus to board. It turned out to be very simple as the buses were numbered to match the numbers called to leave the ship.
We felt our suite 651 was in a wonderful location on the ship mid ship near everything we needed, library, spa, laundry. Laundry on board is a great thing to have on a two week cruise. They made laundry easy by providing soap and everything.
Our cabin was large compared to other cruises but we expected that based on the online information and cost.
Entertainment was good for a smaller ship. Cabin and room service were very good.
Ports were spectacular and the tours were good but not great. Tours are for the most part are included in the cost up front, there were some tours that were at added cost. Tours were like other tours we have taken when traveling on other cruise lines. Bus, guide with headset most of the time. Tour of Catherine's Place was more controlled and more enjoyable than some others were. Tour of Peterhoff is a must do. Hermitage was very crowded and not well controlled.
So this is the last season for the Voyager and she is going to dry dock to be updated. Will look to she what they do to update this ship.
The two negatives for us were dining - we felt service was poor and food quality needs improvement. We did like dining on our schedule not a preset time. "upscale" Steak place was also not impressive. We canceled the French place based on the menu.
Ship needs updates and is schedule to have work.
If you drink very much alcohol, this cruise is more cost effective as it is included the price. It was very nice not to worry about using your cabin card every time you wanted a beverage.
Highly recommend upgrading to business air class if it is not included. We felt good money spent and actually were in first not business. Don't forget to take advantage of the airline lounges if you fly first or business.
Overall based on cost, we were a bit underwhelmed with the quality of entire experience.
We will consider another Regent cruise if we are going to similar places we have not been before, maybe the orient is next!! Read Less

I write this review to express our deepest disappointment in what my husband & I anticipated being the experience of a lifetime with Regent.
My husband and I saved for this excursion and booked this specific trip for our Honeymoon, ... Read More

I write this review to express our deepest disappointment in what my husband & I anticipated being the experience of a lifetime with Regent.
My husband and I saved for this excursion and booked this specific trip for our Honeymoon, hopeful it would deliver memories that would last forever. While we were correct that the Regent Seven Seas Explorer delivered memories, unfortunately they were the kind you would rather soon forget.
On its face there is absolutely no argument that the ship itself is beautiful, both inside and out, and is overall very impressive. There is also no doubt that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings believes that building a fancy ship, without more, somehow translates to an excellent experience. In fact, to quote its president and chief executive officer, Frank Del Rio, the "Seven Seas Explorer is not only the world’s most luxurious ship-she sets a new benchmark for luxury vacations and lays the foundation from which Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to build." The reality, however, is that luxury is measured by the individual guests, and if you are going to make the bold statement that Mr. Del Rio did you simply cannot miss the mark on anything offered. Unfortunately, the Explorer fell well short of the lofty expectations placed upon her.
As a starter, there was nothing “special” about the cruise; no “wow” factor, no special event (not even one formal night) and the new entertainment from ‘in house’ Norwegian Holdings was second-rate compared to what we had previously experienced from Regent on our last sailing. That is, when the entertainment actually entertained and did not shut down at early hours regardless of whether guests were present and in complete disregard for their advertised times.
In addition, our impressions were not unique. We spoke with many fellow passengers both during and after the cruise and apart from the usual litany of petty complaints and genuine grievances there was a common theme of which Regent had better take urgent note. The message was simple: we were treated like no one could care whether we were on the ship or not. It was almost as if Regent / Norwegian behaved as though they were paying us to be aboard.
We chose "the most luxurious ship in the world" for our Honeymoon, believing it would be truly special and memorable and worth every cent of the considerable price we paid for the privilege of being there. It was neither. It was just another cruise, albeit on a brand new ship (with many ongoing and unacceptable “issues”). In fact, the ship was/is nowhere near finished and Regent put little or no thought or effort into making our trip memorable and we are very disappointed at Regent’s apparent indifference as it was made well aware of its loyal and longstanding customers' unhappiness in the mid-cruise questionnaire and discussions with the hotel manager and others.
The “executive” staff presented with a level of indifference akin to a fast food restaurant. The attitude most notably present at the guest services desk was borderline obnoxious. We were made to feel insignificant with any inquiry or request.
The inexperienced wait staff lacked supervision/direction. For example, on the first night aboard we waited well over 45 minutes to order a cigar and specialty whiskey in the Connoisseurs Club.
A general sense of chaos and poor morale behind, and sometimes in front of, the scenes. For example, we were delayed 2 hours getting off the boat in Amalfi due to crew inexperience in setting an anchor and not being able to operate boat tenders; and the luggage conveyor belt at port in Civitavecchia was broken delaying passenger departure by 1.5 hours.
The boat ran aground and was stuck on a shoal leaving Corfu. The most alarming part of this situation is that the Captain then lied to the entire boat that they were performing exercises based on the fact that the Explorer was a new boat. Interesting considering after my husband and I felt the impact then went aft to the Canyon Ranch pool (along with other passengers), watching in disbelief the amount of shoal-wash surface as the boat was motioned to and fro continuously by the Captain, with the bow thrusters, until we were dislodged.
In suite TV shows / itineraries / movies/ lectures ran on a very limited loop with no updates after the first few days.
The shower did not work in our suite for the first 24 hours – always a nice treat when you have been traveling and cannot shower.
The safe was not operational.
No laundry bags or hair dryer located in our suite.
Our beds were not connected -- even though Regent was notified by our travel agent that we were celebrating our Honeymoon, no one bothered to check to see if the beds were in fact connected. My husband is 6’3” tall and 210 pounds; on our first morning waking up he had the pleasure of actually being stuck between the two beds almost on the floor.
The balcony door rattled non-stop. We had to jam a towel in the groves to prevent the noise.
Our cabin was located inside the entrance to the gym on deck 6. It is not accurately depicted in the online deck plan for the ship.
Regent did not provide top notch entertainment. The same lovely, but underpaid, ensemble Nature’s Rhythm was everywhere. Nightlife past 10 pm did not exist. In fact, one evening the piano player finished early, without reason, and then handed us his ipad and told us to enjoy. World class entertainment indeed!
The Hospital was still under construction. One afternoon, while in need of urgent care, we found that the Hospital was NOT even completed and one could not enter due to construction workers assembling the facility. I was forced to lie on the foyer floor, suffering from food poisoning whilst waiting for ships doctor. Once the medical staff did arrive, the treatment at the hospital was another adventure. The doctor refused to give an IV, citing that I was not dehydrated. Yet, when we left the facility he provided us with nearly twenty (20) packs of powdered Gatorade and instructed me to drink as much as possible because I was severely dehydrated! Further, I was then quarantined to our state room for the next 24 hours. Just not acceptable. We were was forced to miss the one port we was dearly looking forward to visiting in Croatia. Coupled with the fact that we had no internet in our room and limited television, what were we to do! The real kicker is this – my husband was the only person I had interacted with after I became ill. I, however, was he quarantined. I am baffled by Regent's rationale. I was locked in my room for fear that I might spread something to other passengers while my husband was left free to roam and leave the boat and spread whatever they presumed existed. Again, unacceptable.
The Internet access was the worst we have experienced anywhere in the world. The sign-in procedure is archaic and needlessly complex. The long lines waiting for the Internet Manager were a good illustration of the problem. He was surly and claimed there should be "three of him" on board. Once in line, the connection is dropped frequently necessitating one to go through the entire procedure again. For several days of the ten day cruise there was no internet service or phone service available at all -- and we were never far from land. We incurred data roaming charges in excess of $200 and were assured we would be reimbursed by on board guest services (Which never happened). Most importantly, because the internet was basically inoperable on the ship (and certainly in our room – please check with the fact that they are putting in another router near Canyon Ranch because our suite had zero connectivity), we were forced to go ashore everyday with our laptops so that we could take care of necessary obligations. This was not how we intended to spend our time.
In addition, Regent quotes in all their publications "Free Unlimited Wifi", not per person. Beware, only one device per suite was allowed to attempt to login in at any given time. This was not advertised and it is apparent that Regent grossly misrepresented the internet capabilities and options aboard this vessel.
However exciting the declaration may be, when you call a ship “the most luxurious ship in the world” you set the bar impossibly high. But remember, Regent set the bar there, Regent built the expectations, not the guests. Luxury should touch every aspect of a travel experience — if everything goes right, and you have a perfect day starting with, say, freshly squeezed orange juice and a gorgeously stiff cappuccino at breakfast on the sun-dappled terrace (as we did), then you have only just delivered on your promise. However, when you serve sun baked coleslaw causing food poisoning, and then don’t have the facilities to treat the passenger, then place them in quarantine in a stateroom with no WiFi, no shower, etc., you have missed the bar by a long shot.
I cannot emphasize enough how much we feel Regent took from us, and took it with smug indifference. Regent stole time, time we can never get back. Time we were locked in our state room, time away from the places we wanted to see and experience, time dealt dealing with issues caused by Regent's lack of preparation, time not spent enjoying one another as we wanted. With our families and careers, the likelihood of being able to take a trip like this may never come again. We are not in the twilight of our lives like the majority of your guests; we intended to be Regent's next generation of loyal travelers. Regrettably, that will not be the case.
I would like to finish by sharing a story that we believe sums up our Regent Explorer experience. After debarking we traveled to Rome to spend the evening. While waiting for our hotel room to be ready at a tiny unmarked boutique hotel, we sat outside in their garden enjoying a cup of coffee. An elderly couple sat near us doing the same. When they finished they walked by us and asked us if we just got off the Explorer. We could not believe it, what were the chances! When we responded yes, they then inquired about our experience and we did the same. They told us that they had sailed with Regent more times than they could count and that hands down it was the worst, most disappointing trip they had ever imagined. As they recounted the problems and experience they had, my husband and I just looked at each other and said, “well, it wasn’t just us.” Read Less

This is my second time cruising with Regent, obviously I loved the first time around having booked another vacation with them. I unfortunately have not had the same success as i did the first go around.
1.) Butler Service- I paid ... Read More

This is my second time cruising with Regent, obviously I loved the first time around having booked another vacation with them. I unfortunately have not had the same success as i did the first go around.
1.) Butler Service- I paid the extra for it and it has been an absolute waste. 4.5 hours to get 2 bottles of vodka to the room (no ice bucket with it even though I requested it)
2.) Excursion Time change and I was not notified. I missed the Faberge Museum
2a.) The Manager for Destination services was abrupt, dismissive and rude. I went up with the ticket that clearly stated 1:20 and he said "bus is gone, nothing I can do." I said, "but the ticket says 1:20.". His response, "we sent out document." My response - "I didn't receive it." He fought with me on this and got even ruder. His colleague let him know that we were a later addition to this excursion and did not receive the communication where he then was rude to her, saying the same thing about the communication going out. The gentleman is a manager, which was shocking as he was inappropriate and unprofessional in every aspect of his dealing with the situation.
2b.) At the time of the issue there was no other manager available. And one of the destination services employees said their manager could have just called her and she could have gotten us on the later bus
3.) I spoke with multiple employees with minimal progress and only received a 200 dollar shipboard credit for the inconvenience. The cruse costs around 10k per person (1k per day per person). How 100 dollars per person is fair, is beyond me.
4.) General manager let me know that because we didn't pay for the excursion he can't give me money back... For those who do not know, excursions are included and there are a select few that are "special" that someone may pay for if they want to join. But I find it disrespectful to tell me that I am not paying for this excursions when it costs me 10,000 per person to get on this boat. Just because something is pre-paid in a bulk type package does not make it acceptable to claim that it is free.
I had some other issues, including one other awful tour, but also had some great experiences.
Regent has a lot of positives to it, but unfortunately I learned a lesson that may prevent me from continuing my time as a Regent Customer. I would have liked a more prompt response, a more respectful attitude and at this point I believe a 1000 dollar refund and 20% off my next cruise would be reasonable, but even after my travel agent contacted the corporate office, the response was "there is nothing they can do".
Food is good on the boat, housekeeping is phenomenal, Most of the wait staff is great, sit down meals can be slow, excursions overall were great. Shows performed by the Regent contracted dancers are awesome, but this is going to be ending as Norwegian wants to use an in house team. This is probably going to be a downgrade, but this statement is an assumption based on how good the current team is. Read Less

My husband's brother and his wife are seasoned cruisers and suggested we join them on Voyager. We have cruised three times before but never with Regent. It was fabulous. There was a computer technical hitch which meant we had to ... Read More

My husband's brother and his wife are seasoned cruisers and suggested we join them on Voyager. We have cruised three times before but never with Regent. It was fabulous. There was a computer technical hitch which meant we had to wait quite a while before embarkation but as we had enjoyed the previous day's independent tour of Copenhagen which included a wonderful river cruise and spitefully expensive beer, we were not concerned. Our pre-cruise hotel was lovely as was the breakfast.
We were thrilled that our Concierge suite lived up to our expectations. The toiletries, bathroom, and the attention to detail provided by our maid were very much appreciated. Nothing was too much trouble and she was willing to attend to our requests promptly and efficiently. The bed was really comfortable. I rarely sleep well whilst away from home but there were no problems on this cruise. It was lovely and quiet (Deck 10). We did not order room service so cannot comment in that regard.
As I am in my forties I did feel that I was one of the younger guests as the average age was about 65 and it was like cruising with my parents. But everyone was so lovely it didn't matter.
Service in the restaurants and bars was excellent. The minute we sat down in the Voyager lounge to enjoy pre-dinner drinks the waiter appeared to take our order and offered delightful canapes.
The food was excellent and could not be faulted. The service was good too. It was very clear that everything is geared towards American guests' expectations and the coffee, egg dishes and pancakes were flowing. Despite serving Twinings English Breakfast tea, the waiters couldn't quite get it right. Still, a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things. The standard of food and service in Compass Rose was excellent also. Service on some evenings was slow but well worth the wait. The steak and lobster in Prime 7 was amazing. In fact I could go so far as to say it was the best fillet steak I have ever had. We also enjoyed dining in Signatures. We were pampered throughout and it felt great. We visited Coffee Connection nearly everyday and the Barista was very accommodating. The choice of biscuits and snacks was varied and all tasted delicious.
Excursions were well organised and the tour guides very knowledgeable. Very enjoyable. I think their brief was to keep talking...and they did! As most of the guests were of a certain age there was nothing too energetic and so each tour could be accessed by everyone.
The shows were slightly disappointing and although each member of the entertainments team was very talented, the shows did not flow and were quite disjointed. We saw a couple but then didn't bother with any more... they were very 'samey' and 'predictable'. The acrobatic duo were incredibly supple and would contort into the most bizarre shapes and it made me feel quite sick.
We didn't take part in any enrichment activities but made full use of the gym and jogging track. The weather was excellent throughout the cruise so we were able to sunbathe a little - which we did not expect to be able to do!
Every member of staff with whom we came into contact was extremely polite and respectful. Before we went on this cruise, we were so confident that it was going to be wonderful we booked the 21 night cruise on Voyager from Singapore to Sydney in December and so are very much looking forward to sailing again with Regent. Read Less